Elastomeric compositions comprising high amounts of filler are commonly used to produce tires or various tire components due to their increased elasticity, hardness, tear resistance, and stiffness. These enhanced properties of the elastomeric composition are generally achieved by adding large amounts of fillers (e.g., carbon black, silica, and other minerals) to the composition during production. An additional benefit of highly-filled elastomeric compositions is that they can be produced on a more economic scale compared to elastomeric compositions containing little or no fillers, thereby decreasing the overall production costs of tires incorporating such compositions. The elastomers are generally the most expensive component in an elastomeric composition, thus the utilization of high amounts of filler can minimize the amount of expensive elastomer needed.
Unfortunately, the presence of high amounts of fillers in an elastomeric composition greatly increases the processing viscosity of the composition, thus making it very difficult to process. One current solution to this problem is to add a processing aid, such as an aromatic processing oil, to the elastomeric composition in order to reduce its processing viscosity. However, the incorporation of such processing aids into the elastomeric compositions often softens the cured elastomeric compositions, thereby mitigating the benefits of adding high amounts of filler to the composition. Thus, due to these processing restrictions, many conventional highly-filled elastomeric compositions may have limited application in tires and tire components.
Accordingly, there is a need for a highly-filled elastomeric composition that is both easily processable and that exhibits ideal elasticity, hardness, tear resistance, and stiffness when used in tires and tire components. In addition, there is a need for a processing aid for elastomeric compositions that can improve the processability of the elastomeric composition and also enhance its elasticity, hardness, tear resistance, and/or stiffness when used in tires.